This blog is dedicated to treating everyone - clients, prospects, friends, and family - as valuable partners. We should show them our gratitude through all our actions, including our marketing.

April 21, 2013

Appreciation Marketing – Do You Follow Up?

We have discussed before the importance of follow up with
clients and prospects. If you attend a networking event and meet other people
with whom you desire to network, establish relationships, or do business, you
must follow up and get to know them better. People do business with, and refer business
to, people that they know, like, and trust. There is no prize that
is presented to the person who leaves a networking event with the most business
cards from others. The prize goes to the person who does the best follow up.

In the past two weeks, I have attended several networking
events, where the attendees met other people who were there to promote
themselves and their businesses. All attendees provided information about themselves
and their businesses and were able to obtain information regarding the other
attendees. When you attend an event such as these, you aim to meet people with
whom you can connect and build relationships. If those relationships lead to
new clients or referrals, you accomplish your goal.

Just meeting others is not enough; you must follow up and
form that relationship which should lead further. Calling these individuals is
not a cold call; they should relate to the fact that you met at a recent
meeting and spoke about further meetings. It is so important for these meetings
to take place sooner, rather than later. Plan your schedule so that you can
have these follow up meetings and start to build these relationships. If you
don’t follow up, attending the meeting in the first place was a waste of your
time, effort, and money.

Often we meet people and decide that we do not care to build
a relationship with them as we believe that any relationship with these
individuals would not benefit us. Never, ever prejudge anyone. The people you
meet may never do business with you or refer anyone to you. However, what’s
wrong with reaching out and helping someone else learn about networking and
building relationships? Be a giver, and the world will return your gifts
multifold.

In addition, you never know who these people may know. Perhaps
that is someone whom you should meet to start to build relationships. It amazes
me how people have tunnel vision when they meet new people. They never consider
that the person who will never become their client may have friends or
acquaintances who are looking for what they have to market. Marketing is making
others aware of what you have to offer, who you are, and how you make the
buying experience so wonderful for your customers. If you never speak further
with these new acquaintances that you just met, how will your message get out
to the world?

In this past two week period, I attended an event where many
people paid to have tables to promote their business. After the event, I
emailed each of these business people and offered to meet with them for follow
up if they would contact me, and I included all versions of my contact
information, phone, email, and mailing address. Only one of the people whom I
offered to meet contacted me and followed up. Why were you there, and why did
you waste the time, effort, and money you spent to promote your business?

What type of follow up do you practice after meeting anyone
new? Do you prejudge anyone? What do your follow up practices say about you
client service and how much, or little, you care about your clients and
prospects? Please leave me your comments, or email me
at Jim@SOC4Now.com, orcall me at 360-314-8691 with your thoughts. Every missed follow up is a missed
opportunity to market your business and reach out to others who may assist you
in your marketing, at a very small price. You are what you do, or don’t do. Who
are you?

1 comment:

Jim is right on again...follow up is very important to making new connections. The best time to do it is right after you meet someone. everything about the other person is fresh and you need to make that a lasting impression.Follow-up after you make the sale is equally important. Jim's just the man that can help you do that ...very effectively. Call or click Jim and ask him how "Send Out Cards" can help create and strengthen your business. 360-314-8691 or Jim@SOCForNow.com. Bob Bonnell